Even Luke Cage should have these insurance policies

"You're safe and your mom's van is insured. That's all that matters to me."

Luke Cage, Season 1, Episode 6, "Suckas Need Bodyguards"

Luke Cage may be super tough, but he's not immune to the one thing we all get from time to time: bad luck. Fortunately, Carl Lucas aka “Luke Cage" was raised right and thinks about protecting others (and himself) when things go south in Harlem. When Cottonmouth's crew lit up Soledad Temple's van, what did our new superhero think of? Auto insurance. Getting insurance with a fake driver's license (and probably a fake social security number) isn't easy (or advised), but for Luke Cage - who assumed a new life after escaping from prison armed with super powers - nothing seems impossible. Insurance may not be as sexy as Luke, but even superheroes need it. With only a few bartending shifts, a non-car owning, self-employed, healthy-as-a-horse, and tough-guy renter like Luke can afford the insurance everyone needs.

Non-owner car insurance

Luke doesn't own a car, so he's often borrowing Soledad's when he needs to get around town quickly or make a road trip. Generally, auto insurance goes with the car, so as long as Soledad has auto insurance coverage, most things car-related are covered. But if Luke causes an accident while driving her car and her liability coverage isn't enough, Luke would be on the hook to pay the rest. Having a non-owner policy would help Luke in two ways. One, the policy will help pay off where Soledad's stops. And two, having even simple auto insurance coverage, like non-owners - for a continued period of time - makes you look less risky to providers. When Luke is ready to buy a standard policy, he won't have to worry about sky-high premiums, since he'll have a history of insurance. Unfortunately, getting a non-owner policy isn't as easy as getting a standard policy. Instead of shopping online, you'll have to call the insurance company to speak with an agent. The best companies that offer it are State Farm, GEICO, and Nationwide. Since it's mainly a liability-only policy (it won't cover the cost of fixing your car, only making sure that any damage you've done is covered), all insurance companies offer the same features. The important difference to look for here is price. Non-owners insurance is usually cheaper than standard liability coverage because non-owners are less likely to drive. This makes non-owner car insurance affordable for someone like Luke, whose work we know is, ahem, "irregular."

Health insurance

Luke Cage's skin may be unbreakable, but we know he's not immortal. When Jessica Jones shot him point blank in the head with a shotgun, it resulted in severe brain trauma that nearly killed him. Also, [spoiler alert!] Diamondback nearly killed Luke Cage with Hammer Industry-powered Judas bullets, which contain leftover adamantium and vibranium collected from “the incident." But because of Luke's accelerated healing ability, it's unlikely he'd need comprehensive health insurance coverage. Most major health insurance providers offer a low-premium and high-deductible plan that aid in preventive care but mainly are designed to mitigate the financial damage a hospital visit can do (intensive care for a shotgun blast to the head isn't cheap). Another option for someone like Luke is a catastrophic plan, which is meant to protect those from worst-case scenarios. With his low income, Luke is likely to qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, while it still stands.

Renters insurance

One of the perks of renting is that you don't need expensive homeowner's insurance. Instead, you'll need the more affordable, "renters insurance" to protect your personal belongings. It's not likely that Luke has a lot of stuff after his escape from Seagate prison. But it's never easy going back to square one, regardless of how many things you own, including all those extra-large hoodies. Again, Luke's biggest concern for renters insurance is cost. Since he doesn't have a lot of contents to insure, you'd think it should be easy to find cheap coverage. Some insurance companies, however, have high minimums on their personal property coverage. Liberty Mutual and Progressive, for example, require that you have at least $15,000 worth of coverage. GEICO's minimum is $10,000. Luke would likely be more interested in Farmers Insurance, which has a $4,000 minimum. With that amount, he's looking at approximately $10 a month to insure all his belongings from the next rocket launcher attack.

Life insurance

Most experts recommend life insurance only if you have dependents. But Luke has little money to his name and potentially some debt to keep him afloat financially. This means he likely doesn't have enough cash to cover his funeral and pay off his debts in case one of his enemies manages to kill him. And with Luke helping Bobby make something out of Pop's Barbershop again, it might be nice for him to leave something behind - to continue that Harlem institution. Plus, a hero like Luke Cage doesn't deserve a pauper's grave. In this case, Luke doesn't need much. With all expenses considered, the average funeral can cost around $10,000. Since most life insurance companies have a $100,000 minimum, however, his options are limited. Transamerica offers a 10-year, $25,000 policy that would likely be enough to cover the funeral costs and his debts. Luke's premium for this policy would be approximately $8 a month.

The bottom line

If basic insurance makes sense for a crime-fighting superhero, then it's hard to imagine it doesn't for the rest of us. A little bit of cash out of your monthly earnings can be the difference between heartache and headache. The good news is that there are inexpensive options out there – for everyone. Just like Luke, the more you shop around, the more savings you'll find.

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